Former Orlando City coach Adrian Heath hired by Minnesota United FC

Adrian Heath

Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel

Orlando City coach Adrian Heath celebrates with the fans after the end of the game where Orlando City tied with two goals in the final minutes of stoppage time during their season opener against Real Salt Lake at the Citrus Bowl on Sunday, March 6, 2016. The game ended in a 2-2- tie.

Orlando City coach Adrian Heath celebrates with the fans after the end of the game where Orlando City tied with two goals in the final minutes of stoppage time during their season opener against Real Salt Lake at the Citrus Bowl on Sunday, March 6, 2016. The game ended in a 2-2- tie.

Former Orlando City coach Adrian Heath will return to MLS as head coach of Minnesota United FC, the 2017 expansion side announced Tuesday.

"The last couple of weeks have been a long time waiting for this particular day to arrive,” Heath said in a press conference announcing his hire. “I'm just so proud and pleased they decided I'm the guy they want to take this forward. Delighted to be here, can't wait to get started."

Heath added he had an opportunity to return to England for work after Orlando City fired and replaced him with Jason Kreis in July, but he wanted to stay and prove himself in the United States.

"I believe in football in this country," he said.

Heath, whose ties to Orlando City date back to the club’s beginnings in Austin, almost immediately was connected with Minnesota and fellow expansion side Atlanta United FC after his departure.

The former Lions head coach returned in a different capacity Sunday, as part of a panel analyzing matches around the league in the Week 33 MLS Matchday Live show.

Heath...

The last time anyone saw Adrian Heath on television it was likely shouting from the sideline as Orlando City faced an opponent.

The former Lions head coach returned in a different capacity Sunday, as part of a panel analyzing matches around the league in the Week 33 MLS Matchday Live show.

Heath...

(Alicia DelGallo)

Minnesota general manager Manny Lagos called his hiring a historic day for Minnesota sports and praised Heath's soccer acumen.

"We did an exhaustive search and really went and tried to think of what person was the right person to lead this club," Lagos said. "He believes in this club and I think he's going to have an ability to come and grow and build this club the right way."

Many thought Heath was more likely to join Atlanta since it’s director of football is former Lions general manager Paul McDonough, but the team announced Gerardo ‘Tata’ Matino, formerly of Argentina and Barcelona, as its inaugural head coach at the end of September.

Around the same time, MLSSoccer.com reported Heath was on Minnesota’s shortlist. Two weeks ago, multiple media outlets placed him as the top choice, over New York Cosmos coach Gio Savarese of the North American Soccer League.

“I’m told Minnesota United has chosen Adrian Heath as head coach for inaugural #MLS season. Waited to interview Gio Savarese, job is Heath’s,” read a post on Twitter two weeks ago by national writer Ives Galarcep of SBI Soccer and Goal.com.

Heath said he can draw on his experience launching an expansion team in Orlando while guiding Minnesota.

He coached the USL Austin Aztex in 2008 and moved with the organization to Orlando in 2011, where he led the Lions to two USL championships and three regular-season USL titles before leading the club during its transition to MLS in 2015. Minnesota is making a similar leap from the second-tier North American Soccer League.

While in Orlando, Heath amassed a 98-41-33 overall record, including a 16-18-16 MLS mark. The Lions were one of the most successful expansion teams in league history.

Orlando City leaders called Heath's exit amicable, but it was heart wrenching for many players and fans, as well as the coach's family.

Lions midfielder Harrison Heath said while his father’s departure was difficult, his desire to continue coaching never faltered.

“It was tough just seeing my dad like that and seeing my mom as upset as she was,” Harrison Heath said after the Lions season came to an end in October, falling short of the playoffs. “He spent a lot of time with the club, went through a lot of ups and downs with the club to get it where it was.

“I think he’s still motivated, if not more than ever right now."

Aside from a statement released to media weeks after his firing, Heath remained relatively quiet while considering his next move. He made an appearance on the MLS Matchday Live show Oct. 16, showcasing his vibrant personality and opinions Orlando fans grew to love.

"I look back at what we did in Orlando, and I was really pleased with where we finished," Heath said. "We took it to the last game of the season, we did a lot of good stuff on and off the field. I learned one or two lessons, things that are going to help us here moving forward. It's going to be difficult in the first year, we know that.

"But I saw enough in the last 18 months in Orlando, that we can put a team together to compete from day one in Minnesota. That has to be the aim, to take it to the last game of the season, where we're in there pitching for every single game that we play."